Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Performance, Mini, UK

Mini has officially announced pricing for the company’s new Cooper Roadster. The tiny droptop will carry a base MSRP of $24,350 in the U.S., while the Cooper S Roadster will set you back $27,350. The top-of-the-line John Cooper Works Roadster, meanwhile, will command a sticker of $34,500 (*pricing exclude a $700 destination and handling fee). Should buyers wish to drop an automatic transmission into their Cooper Roadster or Cooper S Roadster, the two-pedal option will cost an additional $1,250, but the John Cooper Works Roadster is only available with a manual gearbox. Mini says 16-inch alloy wheels are standard on the base roadster and its S counterpart, while the topped-out JCW Roadster will roll on flashier 17-inch wheels.

That means the Cooper Roadster requires a $3,450 premium over the base hardtop Coupe, but curiously, it’s cheaper than the Cooper Convertible by $600. While the latter doesn’t exactly offer palatial amounts of space for rear passengers, it is still considerably more functional than its Cooper Roadster equivalent. We have to wonder if there’s enough of a price differential between the two models to keep buyers from skipping the more rakish Roadster for its four-seat counterpart, but either way, we’re just pleased it doesn’t share the Coupe’s awkward backwards-ballcap roofline. Hit the jump for the lengthy press release.

Continue reading 2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350*

2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet

Chevrolet has purchased seven spots.

It’s the two-minute warning in terms of Super Bowl advertising and Chevrolet still has some ground to cover. General Motors‘ largest brand is still mulling its advertising lineup with less than two weeks remaining until the New York Giants and New England Patriots meet in the big game.

Chevrolet has purchased seven spots. Exactly which vehicles will be featured and at what times is still stirring healthy debate at GM headquarters.

“Every day, we’re changing the spots of what’s running where,” said Chris Perry, Chevrolet’s vice president of global marketing and strategy. “We’re probably going to push it to the end.”

That comes Tuesday, Jan. 31 when NBC wants final decisions. Click past the jump to continue reading.

Continue reading A sneak peek at Chevrolet’s plan for the Super Bowl

A sneak peek at Chevrolet’s plan for the Super Bowl originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Electric

Less than a year after everyone with any sort of say in the matter seemed to agree that 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025 was a properly attainable goal, the California Air Resources Board has decided to change things up a bit.

In addition to CAFE requirements of a 54.5-mpg fleet average (using the government’s formula, not what you see on window stickers), at least 15.4 percent of all cars sold by any major automaker doing business in California will have to be either fully electric, a plug-in hybrid or be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell by 2025. There are questions about the “over-compliance” section of the bill, which we’ll be investigating further.

According to Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, 15.4 percent is “actually a relatively modest goal, but that’s all that we’re mandating.” Most automakers are on board, says Nichols. “Probably the most heartening aspect of this whole rulemaking was the level of cooperation that we received from the industry… Overall, the degree of support for the package was just extraordinary.”

Even if automakers are on board, though, there’s still a question of who will actually buy the vehicles. While everyone wants better fuel efficiency, not everyone is willing to pay for it, counters the California New Car Dealers Association, estimating that the plan would add about $3,200 to the average price of a new car or truck. Perhaps to help dissuade such fears, Nichols added that “direct incentives to people who buy these cars (like) rebates and credits” are also in the works.

At least 10 more states are likely to follow California’s lead, reports Automotive News. That would put the total number of advanced green vehicles (either with a plug or powered by hydrogen) at around three million total units by 2025, 1.4 million of which would be in California.

California breaks rank again, demands over 15% of cars sold be non-polluting by 2025 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Videos, Humor

Do you love to hate speed cameras? We feel your pain. After all, no technology is foolproof, and we prefer our citations to come straight from a fellow human being. But what if the speed camera had a mind of its own? As in, a real brain inside its head?

Not sure where we’re going with this? Allow us to explain. Rémi Gaillard, a French funny man famous for his hilarious YouTube stunts (real-life Mario Kart ring a bell?), decided to play dress-up a full nine months before Halloween. Flashes fire, antics ensue.

We suggest you stick around to the very end, as the exhibition reaches it final, perhaps inevitable, conclusion. See for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading Rémi Gaillard lends speed cameras a human element

Rémi Gaillard lends speed cameras a human element originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Bugatti

The automotive industry tends to work by certain norms and patterns. For example, by the time one model is ready to be phased out, we usually have a pretty good idea of how its replacement is shaping up and when it will appear. But Bugatti, of course, is no typical automaker.

The House that Ettore Built has, for the past seven years, subsisted on the Veyron alone. Don’t get us wrong, it’s one heck of an automobile around which to build a brand, but it won’t be around forever. In fact, Bugatti announced a while ago that Veyron production was running its course and nearing its end. The open topped Grand Sport, as it turns out, was outside that original allotment, but even that is nearing the end of its road.

So you can imagine our surprise when Ricardo, the company that makes the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission for the Veyron, announced today that it had extended its contract with Bugatti for another two years. Which would be straightforward enough if there were cars in which Bugatti would be installing said transmissions, but as we already established, the marque’s sole product is nearing the end of its life-cycle, with no replacement in sight.

So where are these transmissions going? There can only be a few explanations. One is that Bugatti is planning to extend Veyron production with another derivative – likely the Super Grand Sport that is expected to combine the removable roof panel on the Grand Sport with the more powerful engine and bodywork of the Super Sport. Another is that the Galibier – a four-door super-sedan in the pipeline at Bugatti’s Molsheim, France HQ – is closer than previously expected, but that model is expected to shift to a different type of transmission altogether.

One possibility we can’t quite accept is that Bugatti is stockpiling components as substantial as a gearbox without having a model in which to install them, so watch this space for more news. In the meantime, scope out the press release after the jump to inspect for yourself.

Continue reading Bugatti orders two more years worth of transmissions… but where are they going?

Bugatti orders two more years worth of transmissions… but where are they going? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Chevrolet

At the Washington Auto Show today, Chevrolet introduced a sticker.

Okay, the new Ecologic environmental labels that will be coming to all new Chevy vehicles – starting with the 2013 Sonic – is a lot more than just an adhesive piece of paper. Last year, the EPA revamped its mileage stickers, and GM has realized that many people like more information about the environmental impact of the vehicle they may be buying. GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the show that, “Customers want companies to be honest and transparent about their environmental efforts and sustainability goals, and rightly so.” This is why the information on the labels will be verified by the independent organization Two Tomorrows. The label campaign will be backed up with a website that includes “more information on the audit process and environmental features for each vehicle with an Ecologic label.”

What’s on the labels? Information about the car from its time “before,” “on” and “after” the road. This means that environmentally friendly steps that GM uses in the manufacturing process (before), steps taken to improve fuel economy (on) and information on how much of the vehicle can be recycled at the end of its life (after). You can see a detailed example of the Sonic sticker by clicking on the picture above. Since Ecologic is going to be on all Chevy models, we’ll admit we’re interested to see how GM finds the eco side of the Camaro ZL1.

Continue reading Chevrolet introduces new Ecologic window sticker, coming first to Sonic

Chevrolet introduces new Ecologic window sticker, coming first to Sonic originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAGHDAD – In the deadliest attack in nearly two weeks at least 28 people were killed and around 50 injured Friday in a car bomb blast in Zafraniyah district of east Baghdad near a funeral procession o

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Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai

Hyundai’s Elantra has been on fire, with sales up 41 percent last year. The compact sedan won North American Car of the Year in January, and the icing on the cake will be a new coupe bodystyle that will soon be landing at dealers. But all is not completely well, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Hyundai expects Elantra sales to run into a brick wall of limited production capacity, as the company’s Montgomery, Alabama plant is already operating at 110 percent. The plant, which builds the Elantra and its big brother, the midsize Sonata, churned out 338,000 units in 2011. Hyundai sold over 186,000 Elantra models in the U.S. last year.

With Hyundai posting 20 percent overall sales growth in the U.S. in 2011, it clearly needs to address its capacity bottleneck. Speculation is building that the company will soon announce plans to build another North American assembly plant.

Hyundai says Elantra sales to slow because factory can’t keep up with demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Etc., Videos, Bentley

The Swiss know a thing or two about skiing. Our neutral friends go downhill, cross-country and even joring. Yeah, we’ve never heard of “joring” before either, but it apparently involves slapping on a pair of skis and getting towed around by a horse or dog.

That doesn’t sound like all that much fun to us, but if you replace the four-legged hauler with a Bentley Continental GT, we’re inclined to change our tune. The good folks at Auto Express headed out to a joring track in Rougemont, Switzerland to try their skill with a 570 horsepower, four-wheel drive Continental GT, and they have video to prove it.

Hit the jump to watch exotic joring at 40 miles per hour.

Continue reading How to use Bentley’s Continental GT like a lead sled dog

How to use Bentley’s Continental GT like a lead sled dog originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IFC (Washington, DC)-IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is investing $1.1 million (174.5 million Nigerian naira) alongside Advans S.A., German development bank KfW, and Dutch development bank FMO to establish La Fayette Microfinance Bank in Oyo State, Nigeria.

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